President Biden’s long-awaited $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill finally passed both houses of Congress late Friday night and is headed to the president’s desk for his signature today.
Politics
After months of infighting between progressive and moderate Democrats that pulled the party down and made Mr. Biden appear as a weak president incapable of leading his own party to get anything done, Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill passed 228 to 206 — with the help of a majority of Democrats and 13 Republicans. Interestingly, 6 Democrats voted against it.
President Biden called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just before midnight on Friday night to congratulate her on her help passing the infrastructure bill, while Mrs. Pelosi thanked the president for getting the bill over the finish line.
The Biden infrastructure bill, known as the Build Back Better Act, will deliver $550 billion of urgently needed federal investments to America’s infrastructure over the next 5 years — including money for crumbling roads and bridges, mass transit, rail, airports, ports, and waterways. The package also includes a $65 billion investment in improving the nation’s broadband and invests tens of billions of dollars in improving the nation’s electric grid and water systems. Additionally, another $7.5 billion will go to building a nationwide network of plug-in electric vehicle chargers.
A series of back and forth procedural moves among Democrats on Friday almost sunk the bill once again. Progressives insisted that a separate economic agenda bill also be included in the package.
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“Everyone is anxious to get this done. There’s growing frustration that the Blue Dogs (group of centrist House Democrats) keep moving the goal post. Every time we get close, they come up with a new demand.” – Anonymous Democratic lawmaker
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However, after a frantic day of negotiating by Speaker Pelosi combined with a flurry of phone calls to lawmakers from President Biden, Democratic leaders were able to string together the numbers in the 11th hour to make the bill a reality.
President Biden intends to hold a signing ceremony for his prized infrastructure bill. He will also use the occasion to explain this bill and several intended ones to the American people in order to gain their support going forward.
Hopefully now Dems use this to get it together and start getting some things done. Otherwise we are setting ourselves up to lose next year.